Policy date: 10 December 2010 (with amendments via the Principal's Circular 21 January 2015)

Purpose and nature of adjunct appointments | Conditions of employment | Title | Rights and responsibilities |
Selection and appointment

1. Purpose and nature of adjunct appointments

   The University will appoint as adjunct academic staff (Adjunct Professors, Adjunct Associate Professors, Adjunct Senior Lecturers and Adjunct Lecturers), people in employment or professional practice outside the University, who would add value to the work of the departments in which they are to be appointed because of the contribution they can make from their commercial, industrial, or professional experience and affiliations. The adjunct staff member must exhibit a set of scarce or extraordinary skills as a result of their professional standing and affiliations.

   The responsibilities of each adjunct staff member must be decided on an individual basis, and set out in the letter of appointment. The title of adjunct is to give recognition to an individual's participation in teaching and/or research. (For example, someone who is associated with a specialised investment house who would teach a component of BCom(Hons) in Financial Analysis might be appointed as an Adjunct Professor with defined teaching responsibility. Equally, a senior in-house scientist at SASOL who had an active role in working with members of a Chemical Engineering research group might be appointed as an Adjunct Professor with defined research responsibilities.)

   Adjunct positions are different from academic or honorary positions, in that the incumbents will not necessarily be required to meet the scholarly/research requirements in terms of qualification or research track record required for other academic or honorary staff appointments, but must possess a demonstrable set of scarce or extraordinary skills as a result of their professional standing and affiliations.

   Note:

   1. 1.1 Adjunct staff will typically be appointed in the professional disciplines such as business science, law, accounting, psychology, health sciences, performing arts, and engineering.
   2. 1.2 The appointment of adjunct staff will be made to accommodate the needs and requirements of a discipline, department or faculty. Academic staff currently in the employ of the University may not be appointed as adjunct staff.
   3. 1.3 Joint staff (on UCT, NHLS or WCG conditions of service) are UCT staff members in their own right and therefore may not be appointed as adjunct staff.
   4. 1.4 Part-time medical sessional teaching staff (joint staff holding less than a five eighths appointment) may be appointed as adjunct staff.
2. Conditions of employment
   1. 2.1 The appointment is normally part-time.
   2. 2.2 Adjunct staff are appointed subject to the post-retirement policy and fixed-term employment contract policy.
   3. 2.3 The adjunct staff level (Adjunct Professor, Adjunct Associate Professor, Adjunct Senior Lecturer or Adjunct Lecturer) will be determined based on the person's level and professional standing in their commercial, industrial, or professional base. Normally a person at the top of his or her profession would be appointed as Adjunct Professor e.g. the leading silks may be appointed as Adjunct Professors in the Faculty of Law, the top ENT Specialists as a Adjunct Professors in the Faculty of Health Sciences and the like. [Faculties will develop internal guidelines for adjunct appointments to guide decisions on the appropriate level of appointment].
   4. 2.4 Adjunct staff may assume responsibilities in teaching and/or research and associated administrative duties. These responsibilities must be clarified in the letter of appointment. Performance will be assessed against this set of responsibilities. It is envisaged that application of the academic performance management system will accommodate different sets of responsibilities and performance objectives.
   5. 2.5 Adjunct staff may be paid a salary or fee, the amount of which must be stipulated in the letter of appointment.
   6. 2.6 In appropriate cases in the Faculty of Health Sciences, an Adjunct Professor or Adjunct Associate Professor should also be made a member of the joint staff with the approval of the Provincial Department of Health.
   7. 2.7 Benefits are subject to the type of contract (e.g. as stipulated in the fixed-term employment contract policy) and must be clarified in the letter of appointment.
3. Title

   The title associated with the position is "Adjunct Professor, Adjunct Associate Professor" etc. The title of Professor, Associate Professor etc. may be used as a title of address but may not be used as a title of the position. Therefore adjunct staff members must always refer to their position at and relationship with UCT as Adjunct Professor, Adjunct Associate Professor etc.

4. Rights and responsibilities
   1. 4.1 Adjunct staff will enjoy the usual staff library privileges.
   2. 4.2 As members of the academic staff, adjunct staff are members of the convocation.
   3. 4.3 Adjunct staff are generally not members of Faculty Boards or Senate unless individually appointed.
   4. 4.4 Adjunct staff may act as co-supervisors of higher degree candidates but may not be the primary supervisor, except with the permission of the DVC Research after motivation from the faculty. In such cases an internal co-supervisor would normally be appointed.
   5. 4.5 Eligibility to apply for e.g. URC funding will depend on the type of contact that the adjunct staff member holds (which in most cases will be governed by the fixed-term employment contract policy).
   6. 4.6 Adjunct staff may have signing powers on UCT funds where appropriate, and based on operational needs.
   7. 4.7 The HoD and Dean must manage associated space requirements when appointing adjunct staff.
5. Selection and appointment
   1. 5.1 The process for the recruitment, selection and appointment of adjunct staff lies within the faculty.
   2. 5.2 Authority for the approval of appointment of an Adjunct Lecturer, Adjunct Senior Lecturer and Adjunct Associate Professor lies with the Dean. Authority for the appointment of an Adjunct Professor lies with the Deputy Vice Chancellor (responsible for academic matters) on recommendation by the Dean.
   3. 5.3 A selection committee must be constituted by the Dean. The selection committee will technically be a committee of Senate. As a result the VC and DVCs will be ex officio members, but will not ordinarily attend. The composition is determined by the Dean, but must include the Head of Department, 3 members of Senate and an EE representative.
   4. 5.4 The Dean has discretion on whether or not the post is advertised.
   5. 5.5 A formal letter of appointment will be issued by HR when a completed take on form is received.

Page last updated: 29 April 2015